Marketing Research Final
Distinguish between a Likert scale and a semantic differential scale. Provide an example for each. How does reliability differ from validity? In your answer, define each term.
- A Likert scale is used to measure the degree of feeling that the respondent has towards the questions being asked about any given topic. An example of a Likert scale question would be, "Does global warming scare you?" The respondent would then answer this question on scale from one to ten. Above the numbers on the scale it would associate completely disagree with one and completely agree with ten and so on. - A semantic differential scale contains a series of bipolar adjectives for the various properties of the object under study, and respondents indicate their impressions of each property by indicating locations along its continuum. - Reliability deals with how reliable the survey results are, surveyors could question the sample size or the question depth if they are worried about the reliability of their findings. *Reliability: consistency. respondent responds in the same or a similar manner to an identical or nearly identical measure - Validity has to do with the correctness of the questions and the questions ability to have the respondent answer as accurately as possible.
What is research design? Research designs are classified into three traditional categories: exploratory, descriptive, and causal. Explain each type of these traditional research designs and provide one example of each. You need to include at least one example from the students' current event presentations.
- Exploratory is often used when a company has little knowledge on the information that they are trying to get. EX) surveys, key-informant technique, case studies. - Descriptive is composed of cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies. Cross-sectional is seen as a snap-shot of the focus group of the study. Longitudinal is seen as the movie of the focus group because it occurs overtime (allows researchers to see a change in consumer behavior) EX) Fischer Price video, used longitudinal to see how consumers viewed their products and to find out what adjustments or additional features that consumers might want to see. - Casual EX) a product that has a lot of unattractive features and looking at customer complaint on an online review forum.
Chapter 1 describes four major uses of marketing research: 1) Identify Market Opportunities and Problems; 2) Generate, Refine, and Evaluate Potential Marketing Actions; 3) Monitor Marketing Performance; 4) Improve Marketing as a Process. Provide one example of each of the uses.
1) Identifying a problem within a product or a service and trying to fix it in order to make the product more appealing to customers. Also, its important to always look for opportunities to either make a product better or to create a new and more advanced product. This will allows the company to get ahead of their competition and to make the product appear better for consumers. An example of an opportunity is a car company realizing and capitalizing on the fact that electric cars are becoming a better option compared to gas powered cars. 2) Looking at future marketing initiates and seeing how they match up with the goals of the company and future products. 3) An example is a company that is doing a poor marketing job and then realizes the problem and then takes the steps to fix it and come up with a new marketing plan. 4) Dunkin' is always looking to improve their current marketing and stay up to date with what their customer would find the most desirable, in terms of marketing. It is important for a company's marketing plan to evolve with changes in the market in order to remain appealing to consumers.
Discuss the relative importance of the marketing research report to the other stages in the marketing research process. Describe the key elements of the marketing research report.
Although the whole marketing research process is very important and essential, perhaps the marketing research report is the most important. This is because the report determines how effectively the results of the research will be understood. For example, if the report is not understandable to its audience, then perhaps the whole research process was a waste because no one can understand the results. There are three main elements that make up the marketing research report; the front matter, the body, and the end matter. The front matter is composed of the title page, authorization, the table of contents, and the executive summary. I think about the front matter as a way for the researcher to set up and prepare the audience for the research that are about to read. After the front matter, is the body which is composed of the introduction to the research, the objectives, methods, results, the conclusion and the recommendations from the researcher. Essentially, the body is where the actual research is discussed in the report. Following the body is the end matter, which is only composed of the appendix and the references used when conducting the research. The end matter is really just telling the audience where they can find the sources that the researcher used for the research. Overall, as I stated earlier, the report is essential because it is how researchers educate their audience about the research that they conducted.
What is ANOVA test? When should one-way ANOVA be used and why? When a researcher finds a significant F value in an ANOVA test, why may it be considered a "green light" device?
An ANOVA test is an analysis of variance test that is used by marketing researchers. ANOVA tests are used when the researcher wants to compare three or more groups of means. This is useful because in many markets there are more than two groups of means that need to be tested, so the ANOVA test essentially streamlines the testing. When a researcher find a significant F value in an ANOVA test it may be considered a "green light" device if the statistics of at least of two means are significantly different. *** When a researcher finds a significant F value in an ANOVA test, this is considered a "green light" device because it indicates to the researcher that a statistically significant difference exists. Therefore, the researcher may continue to look at the information to find out where the differences are located, thanks to the Duncan test, which provides a "picture" of where the differences may be located. If the research did not find a significant F value, then the differences are not statistically significant, and the researcher can move on to another test.
The difference between basic research and applied research is that applied research is conducted to:
Expand our knowledge to solve a specific problem.
Full-service supplier firms:
Have the ability to conduct the entire marketing research project.
High gasoline prices and concerns about fossil emissions bothered consumers, so Toyota developed the Prius. This is an example of what use of marketing research?
Identifying marketing opportunities and problems
What is multiple regression? Provide an example. Describe the step-by-step procedure for multiple regression analysis using SPSS.
Multiple regression uses more than one independent variable that is predicting one dependent variable. An example of multiple regression is testing how factors such as age, gender, and education level (independent variables) effect something like income (the dependent variable). There are five basic steps to performing a multiple regression analysis on SPSS. The first step is that the researcher must decide the dependent and independent variables that they want to analyze. Then they must determine if there is a linear relationship in the population that they are focusing on. Third, the researcher has to determine if the independent variable that they chose is statically significant. Fourth, the researcher must determine how strong the relationships in the linear model are, that were created by SPSS. Finally, the fifth step is that the researcher must look at and make conclusions from their findings of the multiple regression analysis. Also it is important to note that when performing multiple regression analysis, the researcher must be using a 95% level of confidence when completing their research.
Marketing researchers describe measures in several different ways. Describe the three measures used by SPSS: nominal, ordinal, and scale (interval, ratio). Give examples of each type of measurement.
Nominal measures are very basic and easy for respondents to answer. Respondents are given choices and based off of the question they select the answer that best suites them. An example of a question using nominal measures is: What is your gender? a) male or b) female. Ordinal measures are used when researchers want the respondents to rank their opinion or feelings on a particular question or topic. An example of a question that uses an ordinal measure is: "Please rank your favorite restaurants below." For example, the respondent would have to rank Yard House, Thornton's, and Basho from one to three or favorite to least favorite. Scale measures help researchers know the distance of feeling that a question is asking. There are two types of scale measures; ratio scales and interval scales. Questions using an interval scale ask respondents to rank on scale how strongly they agree or disagree with a statement. For example, a survey could make a few statements such as: "Emmanuel College is an inclusive community, Emmanuel College offers a lot of on-campus events for students, and Emmanuel College's student to faculty ratio allows students to create meaningful relationships with professors." Respondents would then have a sliding scale that they can use to rank their opinion on the previous statements from strongly disagree to strongly agree. A ratio scale question asks a question that has one numerical answer. An example of a ratio scale question is: "What is your age?" and then the respondent would have to type a numerical answer.
Define quantitative research and qualitative research. List the differences between these two research methods. What is mixed methods research? Provide an example for each. You need to include at least one example from the students' current event presentations.
Quantitative research is when questions are asked that have a set of possible answers assigned to them and the respondent is left to choose which answer best fits their opinion. An example of quantitative research is an online survey. On the other hand, qualitative research involves more work because researchers are analyzing and collecting information based off of people's actions. An example of qualitative research is observing a focus group through a double sided mirror, like we saw in the Fischer-Price video in class. Mixed methods research is a combination of quantitative and qualitative research, therefor allowing the most accurate and diverse information to be collected. An example of mixed methods research is giving a focus group a survey questionnaire and then observing their actions though a double-sided mirror in order to see the correlation between both of the different types of tests and studies.
What is the name of the type of document that is routinely used in all business sectors when a firm desires supplier firms to present proposals or bids?
RFP
What are secondary data? Explain the advantages and disadvantages of secondary data. What are syndicated data and packaged services? Provide an example for each.
Secondary data is the data that is already available to marketing researchers that was gathered for a prior marketing research project. Sometimes there is transferable info between different projects. One advantage to secondary data is that it can be useful in order to get an idea about certain information. Additionally, one aspect that can be seen as both an advantage and a disadvantage is that it's easy to get a hold of an can be considered public information. This is an advantage because it is not hard to access secondary data. However, it can also be a disadvantage because it is shared information, not making it special or unique to any one marketing research project. This is why primary data is an important aspect of marketing research, because it allows a firm to get unique information to their company or marketing research project. A disadvantage of secondary data is that it may not be the exact information that a firm is looking for, in other words it is very hard and almost impossible to complete a marketing research project only using secondary data. Syndicated data are a form of external, secondary data that are supplied from a common database to subscribers for a service fee. Packaged services refers to a prepackaged marketing research process that is used to generate information for a particular user.
What is the definition of marketing research?
The process of designing, gathering, analyzing, and reporting information that may be used to solve a specific marketing problem.
Packaged services provide each client with:
a marketing research process that is used to generate information
What item is considered the "skeleton" of a research report and provides an overview of the most useful information, including the conclusions and recommendations?
abstract/executive summary
Over and above the expense associated with person-administered surveys, there are other disadvantages. Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of person-administered surveys?
adaptability
When regression is used as a screening device, there are several items to report. Which of the following is NOT one of those items?
all non-statistically significant data
Markets are often comprised of a number of market segments, not just two, so ________ is a valuable tool for discovering differences between and among multiple market segments.
analysis of variance (ANOVA)
When a researcher wants to compare the means of three, four, five, or more different groups, what type of analysis should be used to accomplish such multiple comparisons?
analysis of variances (ANOVA)
________ are useful because they determine if there is a consistent and systematic relationship between the presence (label) or amount (level) of one variable and the presence (label) or amount (level) of another variable.
associative analysis procedures
The umbrella term ________ is information that is available from more sources than ever before-from government statistics to sensor data to tracking studies.
big data
What is the type of analysis for the case in which only two variables are involved in the predictive model?
bivariate regression analysis
The ________ contains an introduction to the report, an explanation of research method, a discussion of results, a statement of limitations, and a list of conclusions and recommendations.
body
When a researcher asks respondents for the names or identities of others like themselves who might qualify to take part in the survey, they are using what type of sampling method?
chain referral sampling
The term used for research conducted within an organization is called:
client-side research
The type of sampling method in which a sample frame is divided into groups, which are highly similar to the others is:
cluster sampling
A busy pedestrian area or a shopping mall, as the sample frame from which to intercept potential respondents, would represent what type of nonprobability sampling method?
convenience sampling
An index number, constrained to fall between -1.0 and +1.0, that communicates both the strength and the direction of a linear relationship between two scale variables is a:
correlation coefficient
The types of descriptive research study that measure a population at only one point in time is:
cross-sectional studies
If two variables have nominal-scaling assumptions, a researcher would use what type of analysis?
cross-tabulation analysis
________ allow companies to gather and integrate data from several different sources and then exhibit the data automatically with tables, graphs, and other numerical displays.
dashboards
Which of the following is NOT an example of secondary data?
data from a custom survey
The most important step in the marketing research process is:
defining the problem.
The ________ is that which is predicted in the regression formula.
dependent variable
Certain measures such as the mean, mode, standard deviation, and range are forms of ________ used by marketing researchers to describe the sample dataset in such a way as to portray the "typical" respondent and to reveal the general pattern of responses.
descriptive analysis
A marketing researcher would use what type of research to find out how many customers there are, what brands they buy and in what quantities, which advertisements they recall, what are their attitudes toward the company, and who is the competition?
descriptive research
A winery wants to know more about sales channels, product outlets, and even whether these channels are motivated. What type of research would the winery use to answer these questions?
distribution research
Computer-assisted questionnaire design software packages, such as Qualtrics offer several advantages. Which of the following is NOT one of those advantages?
ensure unbiased questions
What is the type of study in which one or more independent variables are manipulated to see how one or more dependent variables are affected, while also controlling the effects of additional extraneous variables?
experimental research study
A small family-owned jeweler experiences more than a 20 percent decline in sales. The owners do not know what the problem is. The research design they should use is:
exploratory
A variable that exerts influence on the dependent variable but is not an independent variable is a(n):
extraneous variable
________ are small groups of people brought together and guided through an unstructured, spontaneous discussion for the purpose of gaining information relevant to the research problem.
focus groups
Which of the following is a tabulation of the number of times that each different value appears in a particular set of values?
frequency distribution
ANOVA is a "________" procedure that signals when at least one pair of means is significantly different.
green light
Depending on its type, a relationship can usually be characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:
its absence
Panel companies have become a popular means of data collection. Which of the following does NOT characterize an advantage of panel companies?
less costly than other sources
Social media have a number of strengths as a source of marketing research data. Which of the following is NOT considered one of those strengths?
little to no expertise is needed to organize and analyze data
The ________ is characterized by non-responsiveness and self-selection bias.
mail survey
Misrepresenting the impact of the sampling method and its impact on sample data violates ethics codes of the marketing profession. This code would falls into the category of:
maintaining research integrity
Tracking variables on how well products are performing in the marketplace is an example of what use of marketing research?
market monitoring
The ________ is a descriptive analysis measure defined as that value in a string of numbers that occurs most often.
mode
There are several measures of variability with each measure providing its own unique version of information that helps to describe the diversity of responses. Which of the following is NOT one of those measures of variability?
mode
What is the primary term for "coefficient of determination," a handy measure of the strength of the overall linear relationship?
multiple R
________ is an expansion of bivariate regression analysis in that more than one independent variable is used in the regression equation.
multiple regression analysis
________ involves the study of an individual's involuntary responses to marketing stimuli, including eye movement, heart rate, skin conductance, breathing, brain activity (using functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]), and brain waves (electroencephalography [EEG]).
neuromarketing
What type of sampling method is selection not based on chance or randomness but based on an inherently biased selection process?
non-probability sampling
The choice of the type of research design depends largely on:
objectives of the research
Techniques in which phenomena of interest involving people, objects, and/or activities are systematically observed and documented is:
observational research
A ________ recruits large numbers of potential respondents who agree to take part in surveys for compensation.
panel company
ANOVA is much more efficient and convenient than:
performing successive independent sample differences tests.
When an interviewer reads questions, either face-to-face or over the telephone, to the respondent and records his or her answers without the use of a computer this is what type of data collection?
person-administered survey
Which of the following is particularly useful for illustrating relative size or static comparisons?
pie charts
Options available to determine where the pair(s) of statistically significant differences between the means exist(s) are called?
post hoc tests
When a researcher refers to finding that a systematic relationship exists between the two variables of interest in the population, he or she is referring to which relationship characteristic?
presence
Data referring to information that is developed or gathered by the researcher specifically for the research project at hand is called:
primary data
Maritz Research's New Vehicle Customer Study includes data collected over several years, and in recent years it has studied hybrids. Its market analysts know why drivers purchase hybrids, what makes them satisfied, what their expectations are for gas mileage, and preferences for alternative fuels. The main use of this type of research would be related to:
product research
A picture or thematic apperception test involves providing a picture to participants, who are instructed to describe their reactions by writing a short story about the picture. This is used as part of what type of qualitative technique?
projective technique
With a sentence-completion test, respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to complete them in their own words. This is used as part of what type of qualitative technique?
projective techniques
________ involve situations in which participants are placed in simulated activities in the hopes that they will divulge things about themselves that they might not reveal under direct questioning.
projective techniques
When researcher uses his or her judgment or that of some other knowledgeable person to identify who will be in the sample, he or she is using what type of nonprobability sampling method?
purposive sampling
When Procter & Gamble is interested in improving its Ultra Tide laundry detergent, it may invite a group of age 30- to 45-year-old women to brainstorm how Ultra Tide could perform better or how its packaging could be improved or to discuss other features of the detergent. What type of research method are they using?
qualitative research
________ pertains to the sequencing of questions or blocks of questions, including any instructions, on the questionnaire.
question flow
The sampling method in which the size of the sample portions is determined by the researcher's belief about the relative size of each class of respondent in the population is:
quota sampling
The ________ specifies the difference between the endpoints in a set of values arranged in order.
range
An actual number of purchases in a certain time period, dollars spent, miles traveled, number of children in the household, or years of college education are examples of:
ratio scale
What is the predictive analysis technique in which one or more variables are used to predict the level of another by use of the straight-line formula?
regression analysis
The information that tells the researcher exactly what needs to be gathered and analyzed to allow managers to make decisions related to a problem is contained in the:
research objectives
The ________ should logically present the findings of your research and may be organized around the research objectives for the study.
results section
What term describes how each sample element is to be drawn from the total population?
sample plan
Which of the following is NOT a major disadvantage of observational research?
seeing what consumers actually do
________ is the ratio of positive to negative comments posted about products and brands on the web.
sentiment
In order to avoid question bias situations, researchers should be aware of four "do not's." Which of the following is NOT among the four primary "do not's"?
should not exceed 30 characters
Researchers sometimes refer to bivariate regression as:
simple regression
If the answer is "Yes" to the question, "Did you order a Papa John's Pizza delivery for your family in the past month?" the respondent will be directed to several questions about Papa John's Pizza, but if the answer is "No," these questions will not be asked. This is an example of:
skip logic
Researchers often desire to measure ________, which cannot be directly observed because they are mental constructs such as a person's attitude or intentions.
subjective properties
Firms sometimes hire an outside marketing research company to conduct its research. This is referred to as:
supply-side research
Retailers who purchase Nielsen's tracking data for their category get up-to-date information about what brands are selling at which retailers at the SKU level, and learn what their competitors are selling. The tracking studies are examples of:
syndicated services
Regardless of which variation of computer-assisted surveys is considered, at least four advantages of computer-assisted surveys are evident. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of computer-assisted surveys?
technical skills requirement
The scale that captures the intensity of feelings toward a statement's claim or assertion because respondents are asked how much they agree or disagree with the statement is:
the Likert scale
The importance of the marketing research report cannot be understated; even the best research will not drive the appropriate action unless:
the audience understands the results and their meaning
Sometimes problems arise for which marketing research is not the best solution. Which of the following is NOT one of the major reasons that marketing may not be the best solution?
the company has revenue
Another variation of the self-administered survey is the drop-off survey, which must be self-explanatory because:
the surveys are left with the respondents, who fill them out without assistance.
A marketing research proposal contains:
the timetable for a research project
Which of the following is NOT a use for exploratory research?
to confirm hypotheses
"Now, I would like to ask you a few questions about your TV viewing habits" is an example of a(n):
transition question
________ is an assessment of the exactness of a measurement relative to what actually exists.
validity
There are several measures of central tendency. Which of the following is NOT one of those measures?
variance
Correlation coefficients that fall between the absolute values of 1.00 and .81 are generally considered to be:
very strong